Sticking Around in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Why not hang around when you have a comfortable and interesting place to be?!#%  That’s what we decided about the Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  So, we moved out of our short term spot, #474, into a monthly spot, #262. It’s obvious here that there’s a good-sized group of snowbirds.  On our drives through we see many Midwest license plates; Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan are plentiful. Although, there’s also no lack of folks from Canada, Tennessee, Missouri, etc.  We’re only a few roads away from our first spot, but the differences in our new neighborhood are obvious.  From day one, about a week ago, we noticed that people wave at each other, stop on their walks or cross the road from one parking spot to another to visit.  A brief conversation with a few of our fellow winter residents informed us that there are many who come here year after year, making friends, acquiring repeat parking spots and living alongside one another while they escape the cold.  It’s not too surprising since one can reserve a spot for $475 a month, inclusive of electric.

But, why here for us?  First, we’re also dodging the weather.  As it turns out we’re missing the horrendous blizzard that’s going on up north right now.  Indianapolis is frozen in, with temps in the teens and at least a foot of snow and ice. Hang on, you guys, it will be over soon! Since just about the entire country is experiencing the cold snap, staying here in the colder than normal conditions for a brief time, 40s in the day and 20s at night, was acceptable.  We’ve been a little less active for a while, waiting for nicer weather.  But meanwhile, we got comfortable. We’ve started by searching out local restaurants in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The shrimp, seafood gumbo, fried pickles, fried meatloaf and even the Tasso in my omelet, all were excellent.  Some of those restaurants, for the record, are: Wintzells, Zen, The Hangout, GooRoo’s Grill, Mikee’s Seafood and Brick & Spoon. (Especially for my cousins who plan a vacation in Gulf Shores this year.)

While we’ve had a little down time with cooler temps, there’s been no lack of ways to entertain ourselves. Besides sampling our share of local food, there’s football games, reading, walks in the park and on the beach, cooking, movies, Book TV, writing blogs, crocheting, jewelry-making, family history and of course, the Internet in general.  I’ll let you guess which of those activities are assigned to each, or both, of us.  Walking on the beach isn’t quite as much fun in cooler temps, but some of us still do.  Here’s a glimpse of the folks by the ocean in December, warmly-dressed families, one metal-detecting guy and a lone surfer in his wet suit at the right. 

For instance, since we’re in the middle of seafood heaven, we (both of us) tried our hand at cooking our own seafood gumbo with the fresh shrimp, crab and scallops from Blalock’s Seafood Market.  And learned about file powder (accent over the e in file), the sassafras leaves seasoning that most people in these parts use in their gumbo that adds a nice distinctive flavor.  The recipe was judged a success by the two of us.  Also, Jerry’s got a new toy – his Nexus 7 tablet – that he’s putting to the test every day with his surfing, streaming and inquiries.   So far, this new technological addition is fitting in well.  His iPad is being neglected for a faster, lighter-weight, smaller-screened friend.  Here’s a photo on the left that  he slyly snapped on his new tablet while I was completely unaware!   The only complaint I’ve heard is that there’s no Flash Player, so one of the sites he reads won’t load.  But there’s probably a fix on the way for that ~ surely~

What now?  Well, since the temperature is moving on up, we’re planning to have a few day excursions into the areas surrounding us.  Then, we’ll meander over to Florida. Hope everyone is staying safe and warm.  Thanks for visiting Hurley Travels. 

Returning to Sidewinder Road

There are places in our lives that draw us back.   You know, a beautiful park, a comfy chair, a favorite walking path, a soft beach,  or even a peaceful corner of the local library. I hope everyone has a few of these places.

Most rvers that we know could make a short list of the chosen places they return to, or hope to at some time in the future.  The desert area off Sidewinder Road, west of Yuma, Arizona, is one of our spots. Why?  It’s the multitude of openness, the escape from the hustle and bustle and the view of the surrounding mountains and desert. There are stupendous sunsets, too.

So, here we are… back again.  We’re enjoying the peace and scenery at Sidewinder Road. Can you see Ferd and Ole Yeller off in the distance on the left side of this photo? I took this shot on a walk in the evening.

Knowing that some friends were probably  parked here was another bonus for this stop.  They are across from us in the photo. 

As anyone drives down the road they see groupings, or individual rvers, who picked a temporary home and are sharing this vast space. We can have as much company or privacy as we choose, and just hang out for a while in the warm climate.  Civilization is just close enough;  any kind of shopping, eating or entertainment is available by traveling about 15 miles into Yuma.  We are fond of the rumble of the train that runs by in the distance occasionally.  People go out to play on the trails or to do geocaching or hiking in the area. And sometimes a neighbor passes by on the way into town or to take the turnoff a few miles down the road to the Algodones, Mexico border crossing.  

Tomorrow we will be going to Yuma to visit with ten friends for the afternoon.  Karen and Mickey Bennett, Kaaren and Bill Payne, Jan and Chuck Moore, Ron and Sharon Mead and Jack and Jeanne Albers are all good people who share the rving lifestyle. They are in this area of the country for various amounts of the winter.  Each of these returners could tell their own tales of time spent at Sidewinder Road. 

How fortunate we are to have the opportunity to come back here as we move along in our journey. 

Thanks for visiting Hurley Travels.  Stay safe!

Flashback Friday - Our First Winter in the Desert, 2004-05

Blooming white primrose spread over the deserts in Arizona and California where we spent a good deal of time in the winter months of 2004-05. Oranges, yellows and blues of all types of wild desert flowers paved the way along the road from Yuma to Quartzsite. The rains had showered just the right amount for a wild population explosion.  We had a colorful winter welcome to the southwest. Nice of Mother Nature to arrange for the beautiful array.

Besides the desert bouquets, we had several lifestyle discoveries. First, we learned a great deal about boon docking, using our solar panels to the utmost and our storage tanks efficiently.  It was fun practicing around Ogilby and Sidewinder Roads west of Yuma – wide, open space of quiet, sage and brush, surrounded by distant sand dunes and chocolate mountains -  land where RVers migrate each winter to settle intermittently on a piece of the desert.  When we got hitch itch in one spot we would move 20 to 50 miles or so to more Bureau of Land Management areas near Imperial Dam, Quartzsite or Blythe, California.  Learning where to get water and dump tanks wasn’t difficult at all. That’s another revelation we had out in the desert.  RVers are friendly and helpful folk. Most everyone we came across was ready to share; recommendations on parking, dumping, water, trash, restaurants, roads or whatever experiences they had. We found these fellow nomads offering to show us around, do some hiking or geocaching, take a trail to an abandoned mine in the hills or lend a hand with a repair.

After this introduction to desert living, we decided there was one aspect we wanted to take to another level. We were drawn to those trails we’d experienced on a limited basis in our Ford F550 truck.  Yes, we didn’t get too far off road in that monster.  It was super for traveling the highways with the 5th wheel or venturing a limited distance on the desert roads. But that’s all. And we were bitten by the off-roading bug.

The solution: Ole Yeller, our Jeep Wrangler, became a part of our entourage at that point. Of course, it was completely stock. And we also had a lot to learn about our new hobby.  But, some very patient and hospitable RVing friends took us out “4wheeling” anyway.  We snaked through slot canyons, paused for some fantastic mountainous views and enjoyed the camaraderie. That was all it took. We were off to the customizing shop in Phoenix.  And the story goes on from there in many directions and over many obstacles.

The winter of  2004-05 completed one year of the RV lifestyle for us. The season was eye-opening in many ways.

Thanks for stopping in at Hurley Travels. Talk to you later.

Flashback Friday – Green River Lake, Wyoming – 2006

Think about what you would define as “God’s Country.”  We’ve been to multiple places that would fit that description during our seven-year rving escapade.  But, for sure, one spot in Wyoming is in our top five list. Green River Lake, at the edge of the Wind River Range of the Teton Mountains, near Pinedale, Wyoming, is one of the most beautiful temporary homes we’ve had. 

In early 2006 we were prospecting for a volunteering job in the northwest part of the U.S. On the volunteer.gov website we learned of the positions available in the  Pinedale Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The location sounded good. And we liked the idea of experiencing the National Forest Service. However, we were hesitant to take a campground host slot as we had heard some not-so-great stories about camp hosting elsewhere.  But the Green River Lake Campground  sounded so tempting – 52 miles from the small town of Pinedale, Wyoming, 26 miles of that on a dirt forest road, next to a wilderness area. Doesn’t that make you want to be there? Spending a few months at the edge of the Bridger Wilderness could be invigorating.  We decided the location would keep our camping visitors to those who were serious hikers, fishermen, etc.  Besides, we were attracted to trying the remote experience for a few months, without hookups or cell phone.  Long-story-short, we took the spots as camp host and trailhead host, proceeded to Pinedale in mid-May for our training and had a super summer. 

There are so many experiences to describe here. This post could be a book.  I’m keeping my recollections to a minimum for now, but maybe this one will have to be continued. Our peek inside the NFS was positive and intriguing overall. The industry behind fighting the annual ravaging wild fires and hiring employees was enlightening. And, we encountered helpful and hard-working people in the Forest Service.

Our means of communication with the rangers was via a two-way radio, other than when someone stopped by weekly to check on us or we went to a meeting occasionally in Pinedale.  We were happy that our luck came through when we tried to setup our satellite dishes. Jerry was able to magically find a  small break in the thick forest cover to get the TV and Internet operating. We felt safe, yet removed. However, when a wild fire was within two miles and ashes were falling on us, we were somewhat concerned. The campground was closed and we were ready on a moment’s notice to evacuate.  Get the picture so far?

Fortunately, our predictions about the majority of the people who came to our campground and all of the people who hiked the 13-mile trail through the wilderness were correct. They were basically nature lovers who respected their surroundings. Working up towards the campground in the valley where the Green River flows is mouth-dropping. You follow the forest road with the Bridger Wilderness on the right and the Tetons on the left, while sometimes a moose or wolf crosses your path .  The scene at Green River Lake, just down the hill from our campsite, where Square Top Mountain stands watch, is out-of-this-world!  (See first photo in this post.)

Add to all of this that we were able to bring our grandson, Ben, at eleven years old, to visit us for two weeks. He tried his hand at trout fishing in the ponds and streams even though the giant mosquitoes chose those two specific weeks to swarm in our locale. Yes, he did catch a few trout and they were scrumptious.

What a memorable summer! We haven’t had the chance to revisit the Pinedale, Wyoming area, but would definitely like to do so.

 

 

 

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P.S. Fast forward to today………Our current home is still in Bushnell, Florida.  This is a new scenario for us - two months  (Jan-Feb 2010) in one location when we are not committed to volunteering. Seems as though there’s been a shift in our needs/outlook. We’ve been taking a good deal of time for pondering the future while in a friendly park with a nice climate.  Stay tuned for more developments.

Thanks for visiting Hurley Travels.  Talk to you later.

Flashback Friday – Valley of the Fires, NM – 2004-2008

If you are ever traveling on US 380 east or west through New Mexico, watch out for the lava. All of a sudden the valley turns from the brushy desert to black frozen wavy shapes. The first time we came this way we were drawn into these formations and made a stop. Soon the Valley of the Fires became another of our favorite flashbacks. We’ve visited three or four times.  Why? Answer: Nice camping facilities. Beautiful views.  Interesting locale. 

The Valley of the Fires State Park and Recreation Area is 4 miles west of Carrizozo, New Mexico. The campsites there are on a hill, staggered so each one has a nice view overlooking the valley and surrounded by mountains in the distance.  Most have electrical hookups and a dump and water are available.  The park is small, 20 campsites, but we easily found a good spot each time we stopped. Just perching at our campsite, soaking up the 360 degree expanse and following the train circling through the valley was a satisfying attraction.

But we found much more. Add to the mix the established park trail that walks you through the lava field, providing information on the history of the valley and pointing out examples of nature along the way.  A part of what you learn on this short hike is that the lava field is 2-5 miles wide and 40 miles long and is thought to be 2000 years old.  Just a youngster as volcanic eruptions go.  The vegetation growing out of the lava is one of the fascinating features of this natural event.  Cacti, trees and wildflowers are popping up everywhere.  And there are lots of creatures flying and crawling around in their homes inside the black holes. 

Although the valley itself is enough reason to stop, we had fun doing our usual exploring in the vicinity also.  On our way west on 380 we had a good time in Lincoln revisiting the story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garret.  You can put yourself in the shoes of the outlaw at the courthouse that captures the jail cell  setting as well as the courtroom.  About 25 miles south on highway 54 from Carrizozo is Three Rivers Petroglyphs Recreation Site.  The thousands of pieces of prehistoric rock art at this site are amazing.  There are also the remains of the Mogollon village where the people who created the petroglyphs lived in 900 to 1400 AD.   Jerry and I inquired about the volunteer camp host at this park, considering that it would be another unique experience.  But that never worked into our schedule somehow.

Lastly, I have to mention the Four Winds Restaurant in Carrizozo, at the intersection of highways 380 and 54.  There’s room for rvs to park and they serve a tasty Mexican breakfast or lunch at a reasonable price.   We have stopped when we were camped down the road or as we were passing through with our 5th wheel and in Ferd. On another occasion Krissy and I were in the Jeep on our way to the petroglyphs on a mother/daughter trip.  She liked it too.

For now, I’ll end this recollection about Valley of the Fires. Even though I’ve left out some ingredients.  There’s a slide show below that gives samples of the area. Let me know if you were left hanging out there on a limb waiting for some tidbit of info. We are happy to share.

		Valley of the Fires, New Mexico VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A thought on Flashback Friday: I’m finding these Flashback Friday posts bring back so many details from our years of wandering that I have trouble keeping the posts to a pleasantly-readable length.  Before starting this blog series I was concerned about how much I’d be able to recall.  Looks like the opposite will be my problem.  The process starts with Jerry and I talking about each of our memories on a certain place or event. Then I find a photo or two; and, sometimes, I Google a few details of the location or mileage.  Pretty soon the old brain is reeling with too much chatter.  I have to filter out what we most want to save from each RVing experience.  This is good for me.  Right?  I think so.  If nothing else, we’ll have these flashbacks when we lose that flashback capability. If you know what I mean. 

Thanks for visiting Hurley Travels.  Talk to you later.

Our New Neighbors

We’ve settled in northern Florida for who knows how long. The sun is streaming in the windows as I write and we are relatively pleased with the Internet speed, so that will do us for now.  Our spot here at the Sumter Oaks RV Park in Bushnell is reasonably priced, off-the-beaten-path, situated on the back row where we prefer and the neighbors are nice.  What more could we ask?!

Speaking of neighbors, let me introduce them.  Each day we hear the trumpeting of three feathered friends. This Sandhill crane family comes for the vittles. I believe it’s the same mated pair that we have seen in past winters when we stopped at this Escapees’ park.  But now, they have a juvenile that is growing rapidly and will probably by next season have his own mate.  The humans that live in back of us are trained to bring out the bird food as soon as they see mom and dad and junior approaching every day.  In my photo they are just outside our door as they were exiting after a yummy meal. The youngster is displaying the happy courting dance that he is perfecting. Should be quite attractive to the ladies.   Don’t you think?

Also very friendly are the precious-looking donkeys and their buddy who live next door to the park.   While out for a walk the other evening I just happened to have my camera.  Apparently :), these animals are very accustomed to attention.  As soon as they caught sight of me they came meandering over. As might be expected in this type of gathering, there was one pushy fella that had to be in front when I tried to get a pic of the adorable little one.  But, I persisted.

I’d been at the fence talking with these guys for a while when I heard a snorting sound.  Yes, there’s one little piggy who lives here too. Don’t know my pig species, but this long- haired orange and black creature seemed different somehow.  Anyone out there who knows what kind of pig this is?  Or maybe he’s not unusual.  I’m very uninformed on pigs. That’s for sure. Anyway, he thought he might be missing a treat and came to check me out. Disappointment.  I didn’t bring goodies.

But how about other types of neighbors that speak English?  We learned via email that friends of ours are volunteering at the nearby Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, where the endangered West Indian Manatees (see first photo in this post) migrate to the warm waters this time of year.  The refuge is only about 40 miles west of us, so we visited Bonnie and Joe the other day.  We met a few years ago at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico when we were all donating our time to help with the refuge’s bird habitat preservation.  Haven’t had the opportunity to cross paths in a couple of years. Two hours at lunch over a few beers and a super hamburger at Cody’s in Crystal River and we were somewhat caught up on all of our lives.  Then they introduced us to the folks at the refuge while we had a pleasant look around the visitors center where they are volunteering three days a week. We learned that the manatee is declared by scientists to have evolved from the elephant.  Not surprising considering the humongous gray creature that can reach 13 feet long and over 3,000 lbs. If you’d like to get more info on manatees, here’s a link.

We didn’t spend a great deal of time outside since a cold snap that destroyed a great deal of Florida citrus crops was passing through that day. Lots of sun, but cooler than normal temps. As far as activities, we weren’t in the market for a touristy event that day.  But, from past experience I know that it is sure fascinating to see those underwater swimming elephants that one can watch in abundance at the local Crystal River State Refuge. This was a different type of visit.  After the quick tour of the town, we spent a few more hours at Joe and Bonnie’s motorhome meeting their new kitty, Shadow, and doing what we do well, talking.  As you know, we are experiencing our first Apple technology with the iPad.  These friends happen to have an impressive Apple setup that they use extensively and happily for communication, movies, photos, music and whatever. Sooooo, we proceeded to pick their brains about MacBooks, MacAirs, Mac minis, software and setups and on an on.  Of course, there were several other humorous and stimulating topics of conversation….Good to see you Joe and Bonnnie.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!  Talk to you later.

How and Why We Make Our RV Home Choices

We make choices all the time about where our home will be. After seven years of fulltime rving (yes, it really is.), we’ve developed a quasi evaluation process for selecting our parking spots.   Although from time to time we’ve talked about a favorite parking spot here on Hurley Travels, it occurred to me recently that I’ve never focused on the hows and whys of our choices.  It’s about time.

Short-time options -- So, how do we make choices?  The answer depends to a major degree on how long we are stopping.  Is this an overnight resting stop or a longer visit to the area?   While traveling from point-to-point and pausing for an overnight rest our usual selection is a convenient boondocking spot.  (Boondocking = no electric, water or sewer hookups.) We might look for something close to our route thereby saving fuel and making it simple to continue our trip in the morning.  Many times we combine an opportunity to shop, eat or buy fuel.   There are numerous quiet, safe boondocking sites along the road that are perfect for these overnights.  For instance, a choice might be a WalMart or Cracker Barrel, a visitors’ center parking lot or a casino. We’ve experimented with them all and had good experiences overall.  Our rule is that if we ever feel uncomfortable in any way, we start the wheels rolling for another location.  We find many of these locales online at OvernightRVParking.com or the DaysEnd CD, a handy Escapees RV Club reference. (Note the hyperlinks above and below that take you to a relative site or the Google map showing the campground.)

Longer-term stops - But, if we are looking for a longer respite there are different goals. Over these years the factors that came to be important are space/privacy, settings/surroundings, cost, and communications.   After sampling many locations, a few types of stops have proven to be most dependable. Based on our experiences, Corp of Engineer parks and county/city parks get automatic consideration whenever they are available. We have also found reasonable accommodations at several Elks Lodges across the country. And, when we are in the southwest we have a love for the plentiful Bureau of Land Management areas that offer a million-dollar view in the wide open spaces.  This is where our solar panels and large holding tanks are most rewarding. We can live comfortably, sometimes with the company of a few of our fellow rvers, sharing thousands of acres and mountain scenery.  We have been known to go out of our way for a few days stop at an attractive-sounding campground or a boondocking site with a beautiful view.

Since we left Deadwood, we’ve been leisurely crossing South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa, enjoying September in the Midwest on our way to Indianapolis. With no specific destination along the way, we’ve made some good finds. That’s one of the bonuses of this lifestyle. Surprises.

Choice in South Dakota --  . Above are two photos of the Left Tailrace Corp of Engineer (COE) campground on Lake Sharpe, near Fort Thompson, South Dakota.  While traveling east on I-90 we located this campground in our COE reference book and then found online the GPS coordinates.  Since we wanted to spend a few days relaxing, we traveled the 20 miles north off the highway with perfect guidance from Tillie, our Garmin GPS.  The price is right; $7.00 for electrical and water hookups, with a free dump station available.  I have to mention, however, that this price is one-half of what we would pay if we did not have Jerry’s Golden Age Pass. The campground is well kept, sites are clean and roomy. There’s a pleasant area next to Lake Sharpe to take walks. Overall, we rate this location an 8 out of 10 since the Verizon cell and Internet reception is intermittent.

Nebraska Selection -- Moving along southeasterly we chose another COE campground at the Lewis and Clark Lake on the Nebraska-South Dakota state line, the Nebraska Tailwaters Campground.  This park is just a few miles outside the town of Yankton, SD.  We liked Yankton, not too big and not too small, with all the conveniences we might need. The price of $7.00 and the hookup provisions matched our last stop. All the sites are long and narrow as the campground stretches along one side of the lake.  Every campsite faces the lake. We could all watch the fishermen and migrating waterfowl without leaving our spots. (See two photos above.)   Although it doesn’t fail on cell and internet reception or immediate surroundings, the sites were quite unlevel and narrow. This stop wasn’t one of our favorites. Sometimes it’s difficult to say why. Just a feeling about the overall make-up, the starkness of the long row of us all backed up into our shoots, facing the exact same direction. So, after weighing all the factors, this one gets 6 out of 10.  

Iowa Stop -- Our next choice came after we stopped in Des Moines, Iowa, for our “First Byte of an Apple.” We wanted to stay in the area in order to test out the iPad for a few days before we left the vicinity of the Apple store.  Therefore, we checked our trusty sources and found Pickard Park in Indianola, IA, a city park with electric and water for $8.00, a mere 20 miles south.  Didn’t take long to decide to drive down for a look.  The park is only two miles from town.  We found Indianola an attractive small college town with good restaurants and friendly people.  I even came across a skilled haircutter at a shop on the downtown square where I watched the hometown parade go by as my locks were trimmed.

Our Verizon reception was excellent at this location.  There is no dump station, but we were okay at this juncture without it. It rained heavily for a couple of days so we were very observant of the grass area where we were parked. This is one of those small (10 sites) city parks that are often empty because they aren’t near the major highway.  We shared the park with one neighbor for our four night stopover. But that’s a mark on the positive side in our book.  Pickard Park is across the road from a small ranch with cows who serenade you occasionally and bordered by rolling green meadows.  We’ll give this one 8 out of 10 points.

Finding a 10 -- Lastly, we are currently situated in the Buck Creek COE campground at Lake Rathbun, near Centreville, Iowa.  Again, we drove a few miles off the highway to this quiet and comfortable temporary home.  We have a lake view site that scores high on the roomy, quiet and private scale.  The cost is $8.00 with the Golden Age Pass for electric and water.  We took advantage of the free dump station when we arrived.  A special note here is that when we reported an issue with the electric outlet on our site we had an electrician fixing it within an hour.  Internet and cell phone reception is excellent. Since this one has so many positive features, it receives a 10 ranking. 

I’ll wrap this up with a peaceful look at Rathbun Lake during my evening walk at Buck Creek Campground.   

Seven years and counting –   Our years in the fulltime RV lifestyle have seasoned us for making all kinds of menu choices. Of course, there are other opinions within this gypsy-like group about how to live.  But, for what it’s worth, we are happy to pass along our experiences. Should anyone wish to take advantage, just ask.

Safe travels. See you down the road.

Pausing in Omak – Washington State

Aug 23 – 31:    I guess we needed some down time.   We didn’t plan to stay any particular length of time when we pulled into the small town of Omak, Washington, 50 miles south of the Canadian border. But, Omak is where we paused for  nine days. The Stampede Campground provided a comfortable home in our shaded pull-through site with full hook-ups.   The price of $20.00 was reasonable and I could take walks around the park, watching soccer games, kids riding their skateboards and families having picnics.

No, we didn’t even visit the local museum or venture out exploring the 50-mile radius, as per usual.  We had TV, Internet, cell phone, Sirius radio, grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, a Home Depot, a laundromat, a car and rv wash and the tasty Hometown Pizza shop.  Visits into town, about one mile, suited us fine this time.  

There were 70s daytime temps and nice cool evenings in Omak.  We surfed the net to our hearts content and charted our next route…with the windows open. Washing the vehicles and stocking up on groceries was handy.  Jerry made a trip to the local Home Depot for the right bolts and whatever hardware he needed to work on our airbag issue. He was able to remove the valve from Ferd’s air leveling system in the rear and, temporarily permanently, set our ride height. Of course, he would give a more accurate description of this situation. But, you get the picture. 

One feature of this area we wanted to be sure to experience was the local farmers’ markets, offering the fruits and vegetables grown in the fertile Washington farmlands.  Every Tuesday from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. Omak opens their market in the park in the center of town.  The peaches, apples and nectarines looked yummy.  There were both yellow and white nectarines.  So I tried the white ones that the friendly merchant explained were sweeter than the more common yellow ones.

I also learned from the local orchard owner about a different type of apple, Akane.  He described them as a cross between Jonathan and Worcester Pearmin.  Ever heard of that one? It has a little tartness, which I prefer, but there’s a juicy sweetness, too.  Here’s a link about the Akane:  Click for more info.

And Jerry promised to make some fresh Pico de Gallo with the jalapenos, tomatoes, etc. The peppers I found at the market were plenty hot and the tomatoes had that perfect juicy, crisp texture. Jerry’s Pico de Gallo turned out great, even if it was up just a smidgeon on the temperature scale.  It spiced up our pork tenderloin well. And we saved some to share with friends.

And then it was time to move along.  See you all down the road.